Every year or so, Apple releases a new phone for consumers. Last year the iPhone 11 came out and this year it’s time for the iPhone 12. The baseline unlocked iPhone 12 starts at $829, with 64 GB of storage. Of course, if you want more storage, you can pay 50 more dollars for 128 GB of storage, and an additional 100 dollars for the 256 GB version. The regular version is being sold along with the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, which have better camera features, as well as the iPhone 12 mini, which comes in a screen 0.7 inches shorter than the iPhone 12. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini come in five vivid colors: black, green, blue, white, or red, while the iPhone 12 Pro series comes in blue, gold, graphite, or silver.
This year’s lineup all feature the Super Retina XDR displays. The OLED 6.1-inch screen of the iPhone 12 has a resolution of 2532 by 1170 pixels. One downside is that Apple hasn’t added a higher refresh rate screen, which would result in a more fluid screen and smoother touch, while many competitors have added 90 Hz and 120 Hz displays. However, DisplayMate, a benchmark ranking system for displays, ranks the iPhone 12 Pro Max as the best overall smartphone display, setting new records in areas such as peak brightness. The lineup this year also all come with iOS14 , support the fasted mmWave 5G connectivity, faster video streaming, and 1080p facetime calls.
For its processor, Apple is featuring its new chipset Apple A14 that Apple claims to be 50 percent faster than other competitors. It includes a 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU and is the first 5-nm processor in the smartphone industry. Another notable feature is the phone’s ceramic glass, which gives 4 times better drop performance than the gorilla glass in last year’s iPhone 11.
The camera itself is the main separation between the iPhone 12 Pro models and base models. The iPhone 12’s dual-lens camera is top of the line and can capture up to 4K at 60 fps. The iPhone 12 Pro versions are even better––They have a three-lens camera and LiDAR scanner. Apple also introduced a new dark mode feature that allows better quality photos in bad lighting.
The specs of the iPhone 12’s battery, according to Apple, are “17 hours of video playback, 11 hours of streaming video playback, or 65 hours of audio playback”. The iPhone 12 mini offers up to “15 hours of video playback, 10 hours of streaming video playback, or 50 hours of audio playback”. It can also fast-charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes using a 20W power adapter, sold separately.
Apple also introduced MagSafe Technology, which are magnetic accessories attachable to the backs of the phone. This includes magnetic wallets and wireless charging by placing a magnet on the back of the iPhone.
That brings us to an important question. How does this compare to other phones? Is it overpriced? Everyone wishes Apple’s hefty prices were lower. From another manufacturer, you would probably be able to find a reasonably cheaper phone with better efficiency to price ratio. However, from the get-go, Apple has been known to have sleek and some of the best-designed devices known for their quality and popularity. It is also possible to argue other things like not being able to facetime friends if you consider an option other than an apple (as facetime is an Apple exclusive app) or not being able to download certain apps because they are only available on the Apple app store and not on the Google Play store. These details could make owning a new iPhone worth the cost. It’s all up to opinion. Personally, if I needed a new flagship model phone I would look for the best bang for the buck phone, which may not be an Apple iPhone.
Overall, the new iPhone 12, especially the iPhone 12 Pro Max seems to be ahead of its competitors in a myriad of areas that make it the top choice for many. It gives one of the world’s most brilliant smartphone displays, a high-resolution camera, lightning-fast 5G connectivity, long-lasting battery life, and the planet’s most powerful smartphone processor.
The Roar 